A place for landlocked mermaids and those in search of all things lovely.

A Sexually Awkward First Post?

Making my very first blog post in what, three years now? one that discusses a book about sex is probably not the wisest nor, to many people, the classiest way to make a good first impression for the return and revamp of my lovely little creative space online. This could get awkward. Hopefully not. That’s up to you lovely adventurers out there.

Then again, this is the internet. Not exactly the classiest venue, when it comes to book reviews or anything else.

But, if you are as adventurous as I certainly hope you are and choose to follow me down the rabbit hole here, I can guarantee that my first impression will be, if anything, quite delightful, and perhaps a bit educational as well.

Anywho, while wandering through Half Priced Book, my arms piled high with used record and books, as I can often be found, I happened upon this little ditty. Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex. And, being a curious gal myself as well as someone insanely fascinated in all matters involving sex (more on this later), how could I resist?

I should also confess that I do indeed judge a book by it’s cover. Is there really anyone out there who could see a sex book called Bonk without at least browsing through a chapter or two? Really. Come on, now.

While chock full and oodling with scientific facts, author Mary Roach’s casual, often sarcastic, gal-pal voice flavors each and every word throughout the book. Not only is it highly entertaining and flat-out fun to read, it verges on addicting.

In all honesty, most of the scientific and historic facts are entertaining enough on their own. I found myself repeatedly laughing out loud and marking the pages with boisterous exclamation points, I was so entertained. My favorite line is without a doubt “the vulva of Your Most Sacred Majesty,” an eighteenth-century imperial physician’s reference to the lady bits of Habsburg empress Maria Theresa. Although Roach’s recount of a scourge of wives in Thailand in the 1970s who took to chopping off their husbands’ penises comes in a close second and can be described as nothing other than completely awesome. Though male readers might slightly disagree…

All in all, Bonk is a skillfully compiled treasure trove of sex information. Part science, part history, part humorous commentary, and even part pig insemination handbook (check out chapter four, ‘The Upsuck Chronicles: Does Orgasm Boost Fertility, and What Do Pigs Know About It?’).

Much of the fascinating, strange, even titillating info you may not ever have wanted to know (or at least not openly admitted to), and I can’t guarantee you’ll be happier once you do. This book isn’t going to make you a better person, though you will surely be a more interesting one. Nor is it a text guaranteed to improve your sex life, though it certainly can’t hurt it. Bonk is a book overflowing with intriguing facts, for those who delight in learning for the simple sake of learning.